Batman: Sons Of Gotham
by Persephone-Rose-Anansi
Summary: For too long, Batman has tolerated evil in his city. For too long, he has allowed it to fester like a black mold in the corner of his mind. But in the mist of tragic, crippling, and humiliating failure, he will no longer allow these transgressors to poison his home. But how far will the father go, before the prodigal son returns?
1. The Immaculate Conception Of A Monster

Hey! So this story is actually years old, and I've decided to revisit it! My writing has improved a lot and I want to show that, so thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy!

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"Speech"

_Thought_

Author Note

If you asked Richard Grayson about his relationship with his father, he'd give pause. He'd ask himself which one you meant. He'd remember John Grayson carrying him when he broke his leg. He'd remember Bruce Wayne bandaging it. He'd remember John Grayson's stern voice, demanding his obedience. He'd remember Bruce Wayne's dulcet tones demanding his loyalty. He'd remember Slade…

But regardless, one strand would connect them both. Haunting memories of blood, bone, revenge, and wrath.

He'd remind himself that he was the prodigal son. A boy destined to rage against the hand of his father, somehow.

Then he'd smile, and say it was fine.

If you asked Dick Grayson about his father, he would lie.

As his father's taught him.

Nightwing raised his nose to the air and sniffed, the domino mask across his face obscuring the dark look his eyes held as he opened them slowly. He could smell the rain coming.

"Wing? You okay?" Robin's voice called, cutting through the fog of Nightwing's mind.

Nightwing smiled.

"All's quiet on the western front, Timmy." He joked.

At least for now…

The two brothers awaited Batman's signal in a patient anxiousness. A paradox that had been ingrained in them by years of training.

"Anticipate, but don't be afraid."

Bruce's words. Old ones.

Good ones.

The family rarely teamed up on this scale. Oracle, Batgirl, Robin, Bruce, and himself were all working together for this mission. A massive sting operation on the Joker. He'd gone into hiding after a failed assassination attempt by the Riddler and his gang. The two had been at odds again, and it did not bode well that their war repeat itself. Batman had tracked the Joker to a warehouse in the Gotham Shipyard.

"How typical." Bruce had commented.

Typical.

"Do you think he's really here?" Tim asked. Nightwing shifted his weight as he crouched on the edge of a building adjacent to where the two stood, Robin standing on the roof beside him. Nightwing looked down at the slick stone beneath his fingers, worn by the stormy Gotham weather that the night's dark clouds only hinted at in the moment.

"God I hope so."

The building a few yards ahead of them exploded suddenly, shards of glass raining down upon the asphalt below as flames licked the spaces where they ones sat peacefully.

The communication bud in Nightwing's ear buzzed harshly.

"All bats move in, converge on the second story, repeat, converge on the second story!" Bruce commanded, his harsh voice slicing through the fog in Nightwing's mind and bringing him to focus.

"Come on Robin. Let's move."

He stood and leapt from the building, his form cutting through the cool night air on a shroud of darkness that caressed his body in a blanket of shadow as he moved silently across the shipyard, toward the building.

Nightwing flew.

Sun-like brightness from raging flames stripped away the caress of darkness that he found such comfort in as he approached the burning structure, crashing through the window and rolling to his feet, his escrima sticks burning with electricity, ready to strike as he analyzed the situation. Robin landed beside him, his staff ready.

"NIGHTWING MOVE!"

Nightwing rolled to his left, dodging a heavy steel beam as it slammed into the ground beside him, cracking the marble floors. Around him, Batgirl, Batman, and now Robin, were all locked in vicious combat against Joker's thugs, with Bruce and the Clown Prince Of Crime himself.

Typical

A thug charged through the smoke at Nightwing at full speed. Nightwing sidestepped the attack, the man's axe glinting in the firelight as it passed by. The escrima sticks spun in his hands, buzzing violently as they danced across the thug's skin. Nightwing finished his flurry of savage blows with a kick to the head that could shatter stone, sending the thug to the ground. A huge muscle bound man almost twice the size of the hero lunged through the flames to grasp him. Nightwing jumped back, dodging an onslaught of enraged fists swinging in his face as flames raged around him.

Two quick steps up the wall and a backflip behind his opponent saved him from a punch that bent the steal beams behind his head where they enemy's fist was now embedded.

"Robin!"

Robin turned from the enemy he'd just knocked out.

"I'm coming!"

Robin flew across the burning floor, vaulting off of the waiting hands of Nightwing and soaring over the man.

That distraction was all Nightwing needed.

The moment the man turned his head Nightwing attacked, leaping and spinning into a double kick that slammed him toward Robin's waiting fist.

"Go help Br-Batman!"

Nightwing nodded and moved to reach his mentor's position.

"Took you long enough!" Bruce grunted as and Joker fought.

"The original dynamic duo!?" Joker screeched in sadistic glee. "I've been meaning to carve this particular bird…" he hissed, kicking off of Bruce's chest, spinning as he moved to kick at Nightwing. Nightwing rolled beneath the attack, his powerful legs pushing him upwards toward his father.

Batman caught his protege by the legs, spinning and sending him flying back at the Joker faster than most men could see. Nightwing grunted in satisfaction as his foot connected with the Joker's rib cage and sent him flying.

Joker crashed into the burning wall and slammed into the floor with a painful grunt.

"Alright, you've been unusually silent this entire fight, Joker. What the hell is going on?" Bruce demanded, grabbing Joker by the throat and slamming him into the wall.

The group stood outside the now smoldering building, huddled around Batman and the Joker as the two pressed against an ashen wall of brick and dust.

Police sirens blared in the distance. Any bystanders who had seen the fight had fled by now.

"C-c'mon now, Bat-AGH" Joker screamed in pain as Batman slammed in into the wall harder.

"SPEAK!" Bruce demanded. Nightwing's stomach turned. He hated this part. He looked Joker up and down, studying his thin, spindly, spiderlike form. His usual purple suit was torn and ripped in multiple places, dried blood on his skin around his lips and neck from being punched in the face by an enraged Bruce.

Nightwing's eyes narrowed.

Wait…

"Bats."

"What?" Bruce hissed at his son.

"Look."

Nightwing grabbed a flap of torn skin on Joker's neck and pulled up.

The scarecrow-like figure beneath the mask smiled and waved, his elbows contorting disgustingly as his twisted body waved at the group with its bent joints.

"Ragdoll."

"Mr. Batman. Always a pleasure." Ragdoll's dead plastic-like eyes drifted lazily toward Nightwing with a look of disdain. "The acrobat."

"Still upset that you can't keep up with me?" Nightwing asked with a mischievous grin.

Batman screamed in rage and slammed his fist into Rag Doll's face.

"WHERE THE HELL IS HE!?"

Rag Doll smiled. And pointed to his left.

Cold dread and an empty hopelessness filled Nightwing's very soul to the core, the very essence of his being.

"Oh God…" Batgirl whispered.

They watched as brilliant white and red flames gifted the night sky with daylight as building after building fell, blown to their very foundations.

"What have you done…"

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	2. Formation

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"What have you done!?"

Six months Later

Dick allowed his mind to wander as his steps reverberated rhythmically off of the treadmill.

_Don't think about it._

He chided himself.

_Don't think about it…_

Six months had passed since the tragedy in Gotham City that claimed the lives of seven-hundred innocents. No one had heard from Bruce since then. He never returned calls, didn't answer texts. When Dick visited, Alfred would regretfully turn him away.

It had been too long since he'd spoken to Bruce, and on top of his own failures, it was getting to him too much.

God he needed a distraction.

Any normal day he'd call Wally, or Kaldur. Someone who could knew his frantic ADHD brain well enough to calm him, but anyone who did was either off-planet, or busy.

_I'll live, I'll be fine._

He told himself anxiously.

For a moment his mind flashed to the piles of burned bodies. The ones he couldn't save.

He shook his head and committed himself to the treadmill he was on, doubling the speed.

He shook his head in frustration.

"Twelve miles per hour is the limit? Is that a freaking joke? I could double that in my sleep!" He muttered angrily.

"You seen frustrated." A voice summoned Dick's attention.

A woman stood on the treadmill two machines down from him, watching him with a mischievous grin as he ranted to himself.

"You seem nosey." Nightwing said back.

"Oh ho damn, pretty boy's got bite!" The girl laughed. She flung her midnight-black hair behind her ears and smiled at him. Dick looked this strange girl up and down as she walked closer toward him, Nightwing's instincts flaring up within him as she approached. He pushed them away.

It's just a normal girl, don't be paranoid.

"The name's Catalina." She said, offering her hand. Dick took her hands in his own and shook with her.

She's got hella callouses...

"Richard." He said slowly.

"Nice to meet you, Richard." She said slowly, a sly smile on her face as she looked him over.

"I'm not a museum, you can stop staring now." Dick said, rolling his eyes.

"Sorry." Catalina said with a sincerity that hadn't been present in her voice since the start of the conversation. "You… wouldn't happen to have a phone number, would you?"

"Why do you need it?" Dick asked her.

"I'm a reporter doing a story for The Bludhaven Post. I wanted to interview you."

"What exactly is this story?"

Catalina smiled.

"Big." She said simply. "It's a big piece on your guardian, Bruce Wayne."

Dick stepped off of the treadmill and began walking away.

"I'm not interested." He said, waving her off.

"Dick-"

"Richard." He corrected her.

"Richie."

Dick turned around, stopping in his tracks.

"Do not call me-"

"Here." Catalina said, shutting him up as she pressed a paper with her number on it into his hands. "Think about it."

She left him standing there in the gym, her shoes clicking against the floor as she sashayed off.

"What the hell?"

"Your hunch was right, Dick. She's lying." Red Robin said excitedly, his voice echoing through the Batcave as he tapped away on the Batcomputer.

Nightwing twirled his Escrima stick in his hands as he straddled the top of the enormous supercomputer, his foot dangling lazily as he watched Tim.

"Mhm."

"This is so cool… Bruce never lets me use the Batcomputer…" Red Robin whispered.

"Red, pay attention. We've only got a few more minutes before this stupid meeting.

Red Robin sighed.

"It's so stupid. Bruce doesn't talk to us for almost four months and then suddenly calls us back here? What's he getting at?"

"Six." Nightwing corrected him. Red Robin looked up at him. "It's been six months since I last talked to him. I guess since you didn't leave until a while ago to be Red Robin, he was still talking to you."

"Barely." Red Robin scoffed. "He rarely left the cave while I was here. He was there doing whatever and he wouldn't take me when he went out and I just… I started spiraling. I had to leave. I just had to get out of Gotham and when I left… he didn't even say goodbye…" Tim whispered.

Nightwing looked away from him.

"I'm sorry, Tim… I really am. That night… I don't think any of us are in a good spot after that."

Red Robin shook his head and refocused on the computer screen.

"Enough of that. Pffft Emotions. Whatever to those, right? More importantly, this Catalina chick. She's definitely playing you, but I don't know how hard, or what for. I've got all her info here though. I can have it streamed to the computer at your place now." Tim's words spilled from his mouth in a semi-panicked trill as he tried to cover up his emotions.

"Thanks Tim." Nightwing said with a kind smile.

"Let's go to this stupid meeting. Find out what the hell Bruce wants now."

Nightwing was shocked by the sheer amount of people there. The Cave was full of members of the Batfamily. Nearly every hero Bruce associated with. Just a fraction of the roster included Red Robin, Commissioner Gordon, Signal, Spoiler, Batwoman, Julia Pennyworth, Talia Al-Ghul, Batwing, Azrael, Lady Shiva, The Question, Calvin Rose, Katana, Huntress, Misfit, Catwoman, Basil Carlo, Green Arrow, Red Arrow, and Black Canary, and finally, himself.

Above them, stood Batman himself. Beside him stood Catwoman and Alfred. Both behind him as he stepped forward. Gentle winds blew his cape about his feet as he addressed the crowd.

"Friends. Allies. Comrades," He began. "For years, I have defended this city. Years. For too long, we have failed to gain ground." Bruce said, his low voice echoing across the crowd. He breathed in heavily and looked out over them.

"No more." He said. "No. More. No one else will die. No more criminals will challenge us. Not here. I have called you all here to assist with this undertaking. Over the course of the next week, every night, we will be rounding up the enemies of Gotham one by one together. Everyone. You have all been assigned teams. You are expected and allowed to utilize any resources you must. That means limited League Of Shadows involvement, Thalia." Batman looked out over the crowd. "You will all receive your assignments soon. You will be fitted with communication devices allowing you to be in constant contact with myself and Alfred."

Bruce turned away from them.

"Get started."

"Bruce what the hell!?" Nightwing shouted after catching up to his father. Batman turned to face him.

"Is there a problem, Nightwing."

"Bruce you ghosted us for six months and then call us back for this crap? Tim needed you! I needed you! Do you have any idea-"

"Dick, I am entirely aware. I have more important priorities." He interrupted.

"We're your partners, Bruce. You could have at least told us about this before you announced it. Jesus…"

"I'm sorry." Bruce said. Nightwing looked up quickly.

_Did he just apologize!?_

Batman turned away from Nightwing slowly.

"Come with me." He demanded. "While I was… out of action, I met someone. I'd normally take over this situation myself but… he needs someone different from me. A lighter hand than my own." Bruce explained.

Nightwing raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?"

Bruce walked back toward the Batcomputer and pointed at the chair.

"What is it?"

The chair turned slowly and in it sat a young boy, no older than maybe twelve.

"Who is this?" The boy demanded. Nightwing took of his mask as he approached the boy, offering him his hand to shake.

"Grayson. Dick Grayson."

"Nice name." The boy said simply, ignoring the hand offered to him. "Would I be correct in assuming you are my father's… selected progeny?"

"You're a wordy little bastard aren't you?" Dick said sarcastically.

The boy glared.

"Call me that again, Grayson, and I'll ensure that Ace feasts well on your rotten entrails."

Dick grinned.

"Oh I like you."

"I'd like you to allow him to shadow you during this weeks exploits. He's good. I made sure." Bruce said.

"Who is he again?" Dick demanded.

"My son." Batman said slowly. "Damien Wayne." Bruce sighed. "He's not the only one I'm sending with you." Bruce looked up and Dick's eyes followed.

A young girl dropped down from the rafters and landed lightly beside Bruce, standing behind him so that his cape protected her.

She was a small Asian girl, with dark hair that nearly covered her eyes as she stood behind Batman. She couldn't be older than sixteen.

"Hi." She waved.

Dick smiled at her gentle, kneeling to her height and smiling.

"Hi. I'm Dick."

"Cassandra." She said. "Cassandra Cain."

Dick motioned for Batman to follow him and stepped off to the side.

"Batman… are you serious?" He demanded, slipping his mask on. "Those two kids… Bruce she can barely look me in the eye! And the other one is… do I even need to explain!?" Nightwing said angrily. "Where did you even find time to… Bruce Who is his mother? Is it Selena? Dear god it's Selena isn't it?"

"Thalia."

"You literally could not have given me a worse answer." Nightwing huffed.

"Dick, I'm giving them to you because I trust you to help them. Tim and Jason weren't much different, but they always came to you before me."

"Jason is dead, Bruce. And Tim still needs his father even when I'm around. I can't… I can't be that for them." Dick said slowly.

"Dick, when Gordon and Alfred were attacked and almost killed by the Joker, I came to you first for a reason." Batman started. "You do something no one else in this family does, you help me stay myself. I trust you the most to keep me from going to far, to question me. You make us all better, that's why I trust you to do this. Cassandra needs your kindness, Damien needs someone who can handle his attitude. Neither of them are suited to deal with me." Bruce sighed. "Can I trust you?"

Nightwing sighed and nodded.

"Give me my targets and some time to test them out and see how good they are before we leave." He said slowly as he walked away. "And Tim. He's with me too."


	3. A glance into the abyss

"Alright Damien. You first." Nightwing said slowly as he circled the area where they all stood. Damien crossed his arms over his chest angrily.

"Why should I waste my time proving myself to you?" Damien asked. Nightwing shrugged.

"Because I say so."

"You have no control over me." Damien shot back.

"Neat-o. Can you say that again but without the juice box Alfred gave you? It's hard to take you seriously." Nightwing said with a sly smile. Damien hissed with rage and tossed his empty juice box on the floor.

"I take it back, I dislike you, Grayson. You're a smug fool."

"Then feel free to wipe this grin off of my face. If you have the nerve, brat."

"Orphan bastard child!" Damien shouted angrily, lunging for Nightwing's throat. Nightwing frowned. This boy was too easy to set off.

The painful memory of Jason leaked into his heart as Damien attacked him, a flurry of punches and kicks that all missed their targets.

Nightwing sidestepped a massive powerful kick from Damien, and stepped back from the punch that followed. Damien had good form, and he was aggressive, that was for sure, but his moves lacked refinement or strategy. Damien tried for another kick at Nightwing's head, leaping up to slam his foot into Nightwing's face.

Nightwing caught the attack and wrapped his hands around Damien's legs, twisting violently on his heel and slinging the small boy through the air. Damien slammed into the floor and rolled with a grunt, jumping to his feet angrily.

"Stay down." Nightwing chided. You're done." Damien huffed angrily, but obeyed.

At least he's not like Jason in that respect…

Spacer*

By the time Nightwing was finished with the two newcomers, both were left sprawled on the floor, breathing heavily as they struggled to recover from the surprisingly harsh impromptu tutelage of the older hero. Nightwing sighed as he watch Cassandra especially struggle. She could barely be coaxed to even fight him, and her non-verbal demeanor made it nearly impossible to understand her reasons why.

But it was of no matter now. Nightwing had wasted enough of the night evaluating his newest pupils.

"Get up." He commanded. "We've got work to do."

He picked up the folder given to him by Batman, quickly scanning the small packets of names and information for his first target.

"Jervis Tetch. Easy enough." Nightwing said slowly to himself.

"Where are we going, Grayson?" Damian asked, wincing in pain as he stood up. Cassandra didn't speak, but the look of curiosity on her face made it obvious that she was wondering too.

"Our first hunt. A man by the name of Jervis Tetch. The Mad Hatter."

Spacer*

Nights in Gotham were dark and misty, at least this one, as the group traversed the ancient rooftops mixed in with sparse new developments in the old city. Nightwing led them toward an old decrepit bar. Populated mostly by night-going citizens and small-time criminals.

If one of the major players in Gotham had henchmen, or was looking for some, they'd have come here. It was the perfect place for Nightwing to meet his informant.

"Wait here." He told his charges.

'I'm coming with you." Damien insisted.

"I said no." Nightwing said. "I'm just getting information. Wait here."

"Your kind don't belong here."

"Oh really?" Nightwing responded as he slid into a booth beside a group of several threatening criminals.

The leader was a burly man, as big as Batman, with a sleeve of arm tattoos that crept up to his neck. Mean brown eyes glared down at Nightwing, the dim lighting of the room reflecting off his bald head.

"Leave, Bat-brat. You ain't the big dog in here. Call your big brother Batman in, and maybe we can talk."

The girl next to the huge man placed a switchblade on the table, light reflecting from the blade and onto her pale tattooed face.

The man beside Nightwing pulled out a six-shot revolver. A python.

"I just have a few questions."

"We don't answer questions."

Nightwing sighed and gestured to the bartender a few feet away.

"Hey, can I get a shot of whiskey and a Coke Zero please?"

The bartender nodded.

"Thanks love."

The group stared incredulously as the bartender set down a can and a glass in front of the man interrogating them.

"Now." Nightwing said. "Where is Jervis Tetch?"

The pistol clicked and cold metal pressed against his head.

"Leave, bitch."

Nightwing sighed.

"Fine then."

The clock on the wall ticked down the time.

Whiskey spilled from a glass dripped to the floor.

Dust gathered under the window.

The man across the table swallowed.

A bead of sweat hit the table.

Nightwing lunged and gripped the wrist of the man holding the pistol, feeling the bones shatter under his fist as he swiped the weapon from his hand and slammed it into the other man's face.

He slammed the gun-wielders head into the wall and slapped the knife from the woman's hand as she slashed at him.

The shot glass of whiskey shattered against the side of her skull, sending her screaming in pain to the floor. The man across the table recovered from the blow to his head and jumped to his feet, lunging at Nightwing with a scream of rage, only for his face to be slammed against the table.

Nightwing suppressed the urge to flinch as he felt the man's nose crack against the wooden surface of the table.

The man fell to the floor, his face covered in blood as he moaned in pain.

"Now." Nightwing said. "Tetch. Where is he?" He demanded, stepping on the man's neck.

"I won't talk, you skinny little bitch!"

"A little more pressure and I crush your goddamn larynx! Talk! Now!" Nightwing shouted, hi voice growing rough and mean.

Spacer*

"Got the information you need?" Red Robin asked.

Nightwing tossed the empty can of soda into the trash can beside him as he strode from the bars double doors.

"Yea."

"Good." Red Robin said. "We have another problem.

"Where is Robin?"

"Yea that."

Spacer*

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